I had a similar problem and I went to the guy who did my root canal and he said that he didn't see any infection. But he decided that if it was hurting then there was probably something wrong. So he did a root canal retreatment. That is where they go back in and clean out your canals again, because they may have missed something the first time and that is why you have pain. I would go to the person who did your root canal and let them take xrays. They should be able to determine what is wrong. Good luck

If the crown they placed on the tooth is not seated properly, this can cause pain. What you may be feeling are the ligaments that hold the tooth in the jaw. If you are placing a lot of stress on that tooth because the crown is not seated properly, the ligaments get stressed as well.

Is the pain only when you press on the crown? If it is, it's more likely a problem with the crown and not the Endodontic treatment.

Hi Jennifer, Just out of curiousity, would a misplaced crown cause a tooth to throb? I ask because like rc1975, I also had throbbing and pain and no one even suggested the possibility of a crown issue. The endodontist also saw nothing on the xray. Since my first root canal last summer, I have had a retreatment and an apico. I would hate that I had all that done, when it was just a crown issue. How could they tell the difference? Thanks.

Hello--Wow--I too have had terrible throbbing after the last 2 root canals -6 weeks ago...pulling, pain, etc....but not constantly!---which is what confusing the drs.--Have had 2 rounds of antibiotics and lots of advil. He of course sees nothing wrong in the x-ray ( and 2 other endodontists that I consulted!)--I don't know whether to give it "more Time" or let them do the surgery--which will probably cause MORE inflammation....I'm just afraid of making it all worse..-----It seems to get more painful as the day goes on--very strange--but this is all wearing me out!!!
Did anyones problem just resolve with some time?
Did re treatment fix the problem? or the surgery?
Thanks for the help.

I too developed problems after a root canal. It turned out that I had terrible muscle spams in my face which can be mistaken for a toothache. This could be the "pulling" you feel. Advil and ice can help. Please look into this avenue before you have any surgery. I learned the hard way.

It's funny you say that SuzyQ, but I had a muscle severed when the wisdom tooth next to my problem tooth was pulled. I had the original root canal before this happened but the retreatment and apico took place after. I have been wondering the whole time if it could be the muscle and not the tooth. I don't know how I could differentiate the pain or who to ask. I brought it up with my dentist and Endo and they both dismissed it.

Also does the muscle pain ever go away? It has been two years since the ordeal with the muscle and I don't know what the problem is back there, but the pain comes and goes all the time.

Hi there,
I do not want to discourage anybody with my two cents worth but after two years of dental agony, I am a dental anti-propanganda person and a dentists nightmare.
Are any of you "sensitive" in general? For ex. to meds, creams, foods,foreign agents in your body etc? I have had all four wisdoms removed, 3 root canals and just never ending agony. The reason being I am an over sensitive type, plus some Herpes virsuses which make it double difficult for your body to be comfortable with a "foreign" object in it. The minute your tooth is rc "dead" it is foreign to your body and not every body can tolerate that. Endodontics is big business and so are implants. You need to have a straight, honest dentist who is not a gold digger and will outright tell you "you are not a candidate for a RC or an implant."
After 8 ddts, I finally have an honest ddt who immediately just from looking at me, knew I am the sensitive type and that he can't just drill and fill away to his hearts content. Have a read about root canals. There is loads of info available to the distress of endodentists who fear their work will be smeared. A dead tooth in a sensitive persons body is a time bomb, septic tank holder of bacterii. A good way to find out whether or not a RC is the right thing for you is to just have a look at the check list for implant candidates. If more than a couple of things say you are not a candidate, then you are most probably a person whose body will not accept foreign things and extraction is the only relief. I have severe trigeminal neuralgia from my failed RCS that basically blurs one eye, creates extreme eye pain, ear aches, sinus disfunction, jaw pain, lip tremble etc... All i can do now is wait for the nerve to heal again.
Anyway, just some food for thought from another perspective.
Take good care,

My problem has been going on for over 3 years now. It was my dentist who first diagnosed the muscle spasms. He put his finger inside my mouth and felt the masseter muscle, it was hard as rock. A good physical therapist can also feel if these muscles are in spasm. It is very hard to differentiate between muscle spasms and tooth pain. I can now feel the muscles with my finger when they're in spasm. Also, my doctor prescribed muscle relaxers and when I take them the pain subsides and my tooth no longer hurts, unfortunately it's only a temporary fix.

Thanks for the info Suzyq, I will keep that in mind the next time I am feeling pain over there. I just hate how my dentist and my endo dismissed the thought that it could be muscle pain and not a toothache that was causing my pain. I seriously have never been to a good and competent dentist. I am beginning to think that there are very few out there.

Hello--Wow--I too have had terrible throbbing after the last 2 root canals -6 weeks ago...pulling, pain, etc....but not constantly!---which is what confusing the drs.--Have had 2 rounds of antibiotics and lots of advil. He of course sees nothing wrong in the x-ray ( and 2 other endodontists that I consulted!)--I don't know whether to give it "more Time" or let them do the surgery--which will probably cause MORE inflammation....I'm just afraid of making it all worse..-----It seems to get more painful as the day goes on--very strange--but this is all wearing me out!!!
Did anyones problem just resolve with some time?
Did re treatment fix the problem? or the surgery?
Thanks for the help.

Ask them to check the tooth for fractures. Because sometime when you have all this work done on a tooth, you can get a fracture in the tooth. This is somethng that won't show up on a xray.
I hope this helps
Cinn

Thanks,SuzQ22---Did the "muscle pain" usually come later in the day...and esp. lying down???---How could I know if it is muscle or a "cracked" tooth???
It seems like it moves all the time!!!
Thanks for any advice........

The pain starts first thing in the morning because I clench all night. Then it wears off midmorning and later in the afternoon it's the worst. I think lying down it feels better because my neck, back and facial muscles relax more. The ice definately helps too.
A cracked tooth just hurts when you bite down on it and muscle pain is pretty constant. I've allways questioned whether my tooth has a crack also because I have pain when biting, but the dentist said he can't see anything in the xray and it could be the muscles. I've had a few periods of no muscle pain and it seemed that the tooth felt better at that time.

I also am having problems 6 months after root canal. I got the root canal because I had a crown put on back molar after a piece of tooth fell out after eating something soft. It never felt fully comfortable. Like I needed to floss behind the tooth. THEN<<<<after a few months it started to have biting pain in one back area. Dentist adjusted the crown, applied medication,, and wound up trying 2 other type crowns. Still biting pain in one area. Also it progressed to ear pain, pain in jaw and chin. Xray showed only a widened PDL. These are the symptoms that I got the root canal on.....Had a top endodontist do it. Real quick an painless. I was glad about that because I have health anxiety and was extremely fearful.....Well, lo and behold the biting pain is still there after a week, I call endo and says this can be normal, give it time. I call back after the 2 months or so they told me to wait because I still have biting pain. Not just biting pain but it hurts to even touch it or suck in air the wrong way (this was from day one). Not incredible pain (except for the biting on food part, that is painful, I have not eaten on that side in like 2 years) He says it still could be slow healing, he does not think he missed anything ( of course!) but I could go in and have him check with the magnifiers etc...(OK< I am livid about how doctors ,a specialist no less, go about their jobs. Why don't they check to find ALL the canals and magnify the area in the first place?! Especially for nervous wreck patients like myself. Does NOT make sense to take this chance!!) I surely do not want to have another root canal, a re-do, if it is slow healing, I have searched many internet sites and have heard it can take a year to heal in some case.....Well, some ear , jaw and chin discomfort came back about 3 wks ago. I went to my regular dentist a few days ago and he ground the crown down a little more and it seems to have helped with that. He has also probed the gums and they are fine. By the way, he has no clue what the problem is, and my root canal xrays are "text book" perfect. I am really upset and nervous and would like some feedback and advice. And I am SO very sorry for all of you going thru this. I thought not getting the proper dx and care from the doctor was bad, now I can add the dentist to this. But is someone at fault or is it just dentistry is that hard to dx? Please help people and thank you! Maria

Wow--I totally understand your pain and frustration!!--I too am "waiting" for the double root canals to "heal"--It's been about 7 weeks and I still get evening and nite throbbing every day....but not too much during the day!-2 endodontists, my dentist, and an oral surgeon have no idea! Also, my whole mouth seems to hurt lately. Unbelievable!--And, of course, my root canals
also look "text book perfect"!
In fact, I have not felt well in general since the root canals...fatigue, aches and pains all over, stomach upset, etc..... ( did take 2 rounds of antibiotics, ech)
The endodontist now wants to go in and do that sugery (apio?) and "check" everything...I am terribly fearful that this will make it worse and have more infammatory responses...----Then again, if he finds a problem and could end this misery it could be great.....?????What to do????
Has anyone had this surgery????

I need to make some decisions very soon.. (I have tried heat, acupuncture, PT, etc)
Thanks